<p>In a very exciting development, PMKjr is going to London in January for a six month co-op. The downside is that we have six weeks to find him a place to live. Yikes!</p>
<p>He’s going to have to have roommates as our budget does not permit renting him a studio. How in the world does one go about finding a room to rent in London from the United States? I’m assuming this is a case where it would be worth it to pay for an agent as we cannot go visit. How would we find an agent? Do agents even work with people only looking for a room and not an entire flat?</p>
<p>I’d start by perusing rooms/shared housing listings online in Craigslist London, just to get a sense of the market and to start to think about different neighborhoods and transportation issues. London is a huge city, so ease of commuting should be a big factor. Anyone can list on Craigslist so you need to be careful, but lots of reputable people list there, too. Rule of thumb: if the listing seems too good to be true, it probably is. But I found an outstanding short- term rental in the SF Bay Area through Craigslist a few years ago and would do so again after doing sufficient homework before agreeing to anything.</p>
<p>I don’t know if there’s a way to get access to housing postings for the various London universities, but that would be another way to go. My impression is many, perhaps most students are in shared private housing or single room rental situations with lots of flux, so no doubt there are openings. From there it’s the luck of the draw as to roommate compatibility, but this is not unfamiliar to students in summer sublet and/or shared housing in the U.S.</p>
<p>Has your child ever been to London before and do they have any idea which areas will be convenient for work/ study and within budget? If not I would suggest staying in a hotel or hostel for the first couple of weeks in order to have time to choose a place.</p>
<p>A household is exempt from council tax if everyone living there is a student. Therefore if the OPs child is not a student, students will not want to house share with them as it will make the whole house liable to this tax (less 25% if only one working adult in the house). In this case you need to look for a professional houseshare.</p>
<p>You will get your own bedroom. Sharing a bedroom with an unrelated adult who is not your partner is not really culturally acceptable in the UK.</p>
<p>You are looking for a housemate or flatmate. If you ask for a room mate, that sounds a bit creepy.</p>
<p>I know people who went to London through Syracuse Univ study abroad program. Check out their website and lok at housing. They have info of agents and other sites which can provide some info or you. Good Luck!</p>
<p>I would also suggest your son look at a Tube map to help him identify possible areas to live and transport links to wherever he’s working. Commuting costs can really mount up. I would second the suggestion that he stay in a hostel for a couple of weeks so he can get his bearings.</p>
<p>airb&b.com has listings all over the world, with an emphasis on vacation room and house rentals, but some rent, or “let” in British English, for longer term. There are photos, maps, and give a brief introduction to the hosts.</p>
<p>My daughter said most post on gumtree. She is leaving her flat this weekend and posted her room on gumtree and had a renter in two days. She was in London for 6 months for work and while her company had arranged for her to work with an agent, the agent only had single units which were out of her budget. Luckily, my daughter heard about a girl leaving her flat, so she just rented from her.</p>
<p>If your son is on Facebook he could post on his wall that he is looking for a flatmate. You would be surprised at how many young people have friends living in London. Someone will know someone!</p>